Page 63 of Sizzling

I shook my head. “He will protect us, and right now, I think we need him.”

She glanced up at him and sighed, then turned back to me and signed. “He is hot, and he likes you.”

I rolled my eyes at her and signed, “He hates me.”

She grinned then, and seeing that was a relief. “No, he does not. He looks at you like he wants you.”

I shook my head. “No,” I said aloud.

“He is like a guy in this book I read,” she signed.

“Definitely not book-boyfriend material,” I told her.

“What about book boyfriends?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I replied.

“Do you both like to read?”

“I, uh, me not so much, but she loves it.”

“Maeme has a big library in her house.”

Dovie’s eyes went wide, and she clapped her hands together with a giddy grin on her face.

“Seems I won her over. Just need to work on you now,” Storm said.

I sighed and leaned back in the seat. “I’ll be won over if Dovie is safe.”

“She will be. So will you.”

I turned my head to look out the window. “What if Maeme doesn’t want us in her house?”

“Oh, she’ll want you. I might even get my own punch bowl of banana pudding for bringing you back to her doorstep. Dovie will be a bonus.”

He sounded so sure. I hated to get Dovie’s hopes up, but if this worked out, it would be nice to not always be looking over our shoulder at every moment. Even if it was for a little while.

• Twenty-Three •

“Easy enough to guess there was someone important to you that you were hiding.”

Briar

Opening my eyes, I yawned and started to stretch when I realized Dovie was still asleep and lying on my arm. I blinked, and it took me a moment to realize why we had stopped, but the large, lit-up house reminded me. I sure hoped Storm was right about this Maeme thing. She had been ready to let me stay a night because I had been shot, but she might not be so keen on me and a teenage girl who was on the run moving in for a bit.

Storm opened his Jeep door, then climbed outside and stretched.

I nudged Dovie. “We’re here.”

She moved slowly, sitting up, and then her eyes turned into saucers as she took in the house we were parked outside of. I’d been just as impressed the first time I saw it.

“Nice, huh?” I asked her.

She nodded her head.

“Stay here and let me talk to Storm a minute, okay?” I told her.

She nodded, looking nervous. It had been easier when it was just the two of us. I’d been able to protect her from rejection, and for the most part, I kept the fear to a minimum. Sure, it had taken things like dance parties, buying ridiculous outfits at a thrift store, or making up an elaborate story to entertain her, but it had worked. She was getting older now, and those things didn’t do the job they once had.

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